


Insomnia

by aravenwood



Series: Febuwhump '19 [21]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Insomnia, Matt Holt has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 22:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17876039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aravenwood/pseuds/aravenwood
Summary: Matt never thought he would miss his cold, cramped cell. He never thought he’d miss the hard floor, dull lighting and absolute, never-ending silence. But now, bundled up in several soft blankets on what could easily be the most comfortable bed in the entire universe, he found himself wanting all of that back.Written for the Febuwhump '19 prompt "insomnia".





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> You know, I have very mixed feelings about the fact that this is one of the drabbles I wrote a couple of weeks back. I'm glad because that means I have more time to work on my assignment, but I'm also extremely unhappy because that means I have more time to work on my assignment. You see my struggles?
> 
> Enjoy!

Matt never thought he would miss his cold, cramped cell. He never thought he’d miss the hard floor, dull lighting and absolute, never-ending silence. But now, bundled up in several soft blankets on what could easily be the most comfortable bed in the entire universe, he found himself wanting all of that back. He was too used to it, found comfort even in the discomfort, and without it…he was scared. Scared that wasn’t real; that it was a trick or a test or a hallucination. It wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before.

But no hallucination had ever been like this one. Not even he could have made up the Castle of Lions and all of its strange, unfamiliar occupants. And he’d stopped dreaming about Shiro months ago – stopped the pleasant ones at least.

He twisted in his bed. Curled his knees up. Gripped the blankets close only to throw them off a minute later. “I wanna wake up,” he whispered, then took his thumb and index finger, pulled on the skin of his arm and pinched himself hard. “Ow,” he hissed, but the world remained the same. So not a dream and probably not a hallucination, which left only two options – the Galra were doing this to him…or it was real.

“If this is your doing…” he shouted to his captors as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, “then fuck off out my head!” His fists clenched around the sheets as he waited, barely breathing, for an answer.

Someone knocked on the door.

Matt shot up in the bed and scrambled off it, eyes wide and breaths coming in short, panicked gasps. Why the fuck had he done that, why had he shouted at them, even attracted their attention? He stared at the door as he pressed himself into one corner and slid down to a crouch. “Please no, I’m sorry,” he whispered.

The door slid open with a hiss. Matt covered his face with his hands.

“Matt?”

That was Shiro’s voice.

“Matt, what’s wrong?” he asked softly. His footsteps echoed across the floor as he – was it really him? – approached. “Matt?”

Matt glanced up, not daring to even breathe out of fear for what he would see.

Shiro offered him a small smile. “Hey. You alright?”

“I…I don’t…” Matt stared, his voice cracking on every single syllable.

“You don’t what?”

Matt coughed and rubbed his eyes. He was so tired but he just couldn’t sleep. Not now. “I don’t…is this…real?”

“Real? Of course it is. What’s brought this on? Are you-? You look exhausted, have you even slept since we got back?” Shiro asked, concern clear in his bright eyes.

“How can I sleep when I don’t know where I am?” Matt choked out.

“You’re in the Castle of Lions. You’re with me and Pidge and the other Paladins. You’re here and you’re safe.”

Matt dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. “That’s just the thing they would say!” he snapped even though he wasn’t even sure that it was true.

“What can I do to convince you this is real?” Shiro asked softly.

Matt whimpered. “I don’t know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
